[eleven years]

He became mine in 2002, when I was a shy teenager just trying to get through high school and on to the future that had to be better. Being seventeen, with our own jobs and cars, we thought we owned the world. There were lots and lots of late night drives, talking about our future. That night at the mall where I joked about getting married, and he replied with “Don’t just about that, I might just ask.” The night when I was a senior, asking my mom if she thought I would be crazy to marry him, and her reply of “Yes, you’re too young.” The day he gave me a promise ring and told me that even though we were young, still in high school, he wanted me to be his forever.

We were the pair that people envied, so sure in our feelings for each other. To know at seventeen that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone is uncommon, to say the least.

We were inseparable, holding hands through prom and graduation, the loss of two classmates to suicide, and all the other trials that being a teenager brings. And then the world opened up ahead of us. We graduated in June of 2003, we became adults. By November we were engaged, and this time the conversation with my parents went quite differently. “We think it will be hard for you, but we love Greg and will stand behind you no matter what. You have our blessing.” We were both eighteen. Other people thought we were crazy, but those closest to us knew how strong our feelings were and rallied with us.

Four months after that, we were married and settling into our own apartment. My family grew as his accepted me in like I had always been a fixture there. I had just turned nineteen, he had not yet. The world was ours. We got a kitten, then bought a house. Greg was two weeks into being nineteen the day we closed on our house in October 2004.

In 2006 we got a dog who we named Max, who went everywhere with us, and in 2008 we cried together when he passed away. In 2007 Greg kept me sane as I dealt with the passing of my dad. March of 2009 brought us another dog, our Blue, who has been our constant companion since. 2010 brought Dozer into our lives, and he made our little family complete. Last year we cried together again when we lost him to cancer, leaving a hole in our hearts and our home. Over the years we have lost loved ones, welcomed three neices, lost jobs, been given opportunities, and have managed to keep our love intact. The constant in my life for as long as I can remember has been him. If I have a bad day, I can run home and he will make it better somehow. If I have a good day, he will celebrate with me.

I love his resilience, his strength, his smile, his love, his jokes. The way wraps his arms around me and makes me feel safe and secure. How he pushes me to try new things, and has helped me overcome some of my intense shyness. I love that he cooks bacon for me because the popping scares me. How every morning when he leaves for work he just barely wakes me up with a kiss and a goodbye, enough to make me smile before I fall back asleep. I love our time together, quoting lines from our favorite shows and movies, exploring anything we come across that is interesting, our road trips up north where we talk and joke and play slug bug and listen to loud music. How he drives and I sit barefoot and try to entertain him. How whenever he goes quiet, I can look over and he will just be sitting there with his tongue sticking out, waiting for me to notice.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. Our anniversary is in six days. Eleven years together, nine years married. Life catches up with us, but even though we’re busy, we still make time for being silly, and exploring, and dreaming about our future. Despite busy schedules, we have both made arrangements to have the day off. We haven’t decided what to do, but I’m sure it will be great. Perhaps a little road trip? Dinner out? As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter.